Science & Military 2/2010 HIGHER EDUCATION IN AIR FORCE: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES Florin MOISESCU, Mircea BOSCOIANU, Vlad VÂGA Abstract: Training of civil aviation and military personnel is based on higher education offen by, Air Force Academy, but also the courses Romanian Aviation Academy, and sport aviation. The Romanian aeronautics research set off while the great academies of the world believed that "the problem of flight with a device that weighs more than air can not be resolved and there is only a dream and he did successfully.In terms of aviation higher educational institutions, education is based more on teaching and learning and less or not at all on the research. There weren’t made any investments in research, not even in the present days and no support for young aviation enthusiasts is offered. Prospects are, as before, very good. We have, however, the same old dilemma: how to fund research and aviation industry? Does it follow another period of decline? Do we continue the series of missed opportunities? Or accept what the European papers say, that we should try a new road at the long-term sustainable development, the recovery of existing capacity and develop new science and technological progress, the elimination of the standard of living gap with the West, the which supports and accepts resignation of hundreds of years? Europe says that there where is the aviation industry, there is sustainable development. Keywords: Air Force (AF), aviation industry, R&D research and development, global economic crisis. 1 INTRODUCTION both financial and technical as it required a special fabrication, because in those days the series The aeronautical sector faces significant assembly lines were inexistents. challenges especially in the twenty-first century. Vuia had to go to Paris benefit the technical Romania has always had competence in the field of conditions of one of the most developed countries aviation and has a definite place both in history and where technical, to be able to fly some a few tens of especially, in this European aviation industry, while meters into the air,with a device conceived by other eastern countries like Poland, Czech Republic himself, but his step up, first in the world (1906), and Hungary make efforts to find a place. The conducted by its own means has a special Romanian aeronautics research set off while the significance. great academies of the world believed that "the Among the great pioneers of aviation inventors problem of flight with a device that weighs more include some romanian, first Vuia, Vlaicu and than air can not be resolved and there is only a Coanda. Between 1900 and 1910, Vuia's aviation dream and he did successfully”. achievements were the big break trough.. The first Years after the fall of 1989 meant a further flight of an aircraft heavier than air, with onboard reduction of the Romanian aviation industry handeling system, and the first aircraft powered by imposed by the disappearance of traditional markets jet engine are due to them romanian creations. It can and the difficulties of transition to the new economic be argued, rightly, that "Our Air Force was born system. along with the world’s one." The Romanian science schools were formed in Our people gave to aeronautics lots of talented the late XIXth century. Also then have defined the inventors. Contribution, if not of all of them, at least main directions of modern development of our art. of some, to whose originality, was for that era In the same century, was founded The Romanian obvious, it is worth getting out of anonymity Academy, University of Iasi and Bucharest, as the because they were busy perfecting fly machines and first institution of higher education named as their projects have been unjustly forgotten . Even "School of Pont and roads, mines and architecture”. though most could not be accomplished due to harsh However, technical and scientific preoccupations are conditions in which worked their makers, some of very old on and noteworthy achievements were them present even so a great interest, because are recorded, representing a rich tradition in our country. based on ideas wich technical evolution has A domain in which the inventive spirit of man confirmed them. The third figures that represent the must necessarily be doubled with heroism was and crowning of romanian aeronautical creations are: remained the same of flight, from the legendary Aurel Vlaicu, Traian Vuia and Henri Coanda. They Daedal and Icar to the crews of today's cosmic have wrote glorious page in the history of romanian modules. The Romanian ingenuity, spirit of sacrifice aeronautics, bringing a first grade contribution to the have come from so-called "prehistory" of the aircraft development of air navigation. to its highest level of today’s cosmonautic. There The scientists, the engineers, inventors are were very hard times for the inventors in this area. contributing to continuous improvement of flight At the begining of the XXth century, the simply technique. "The Romanian people," said purchase of a jet engine was a difficult problem, academician E. Carafoli, "are among the first people 72 Science & Military 2/2010 who participated in this wonderful manifestation of and a good innovative potential from the young human genius that had to lead in only half of researchers in this field. a century, to a stunning development of air In aeronautical R&D, there are also reasons for navigation." optimism. In Bucharest, there are currently three research institutes of aviation, two governmental, the 2 RESEARCH IN AVIATION: REALITY National Research - Development and turbo AND PROSPECTS COMOTI and National Institute for Aerospace Research "Elie Carafoli" (Incas) and one private, This beautiful story is the beginning of Calculation and Testing Institute for Aero Structures Romanian aviation, from which we like to get a - Astronautics STRAERO all three, came from the mention from time to time. But there is another old INCREST, founded by Henri Coanda. The three story, woven with the first one, and in conjunction research institutes active in analysis and testing with the question "Why is not investing in Romanian aircraft structures and materials, flight control research aircraft?". The story of failures, missed systems analysis and design and development of project, the waste of opportunities and people. In testing facilities (STRAERO) of general 1901 Traian Vuia start to work in Lugoj, at the draft aerodynamics, flight dynamics and systems, space of his first flight. Due to financial shortcomings, structures, strength of materials aviation and after repeated failed attempts to obtain funds from aerospace propulsion systems (INCAS), respectively both Bucharest and Paris, Traian Vuia fails to build aviation turbine engines, energy and energy the aircraft until 1906, three years after the first efficiency and environmental protection and recorded history of human flight brothers Wilbur greening. Among the most important achievements and Orville Wright. What would have happened if of the Romanian research institutes of aviation in Vuia would find the necessary funding in 1901? We recent years can be mentioned the development of will never know. How do we know how it would be aircraft IAR 93, IAR 95, IAR 99, IAR 823, IAR 827 no written history of Romania if the Coanda air-built (STRAERO), AG 6, and - T and ECO 100 (INCAS ) rocket for the Romanian Army in 1905 had been and modernization of IAR 330 and 300 and MiG 21 developed and realized its true potential. Or aircraft VYROBU. hydroplane was designed by John Paula One of the big problems of the Romanian developments in 1911, abandoned for lack of funds? research, often claimed by scientists as the main And the sad story continues: in 1910, prototype cause of poor results of R&D is inadequate funding Vlaicu I successfully participate in the general from government, research and development military maneuvers, Romania was, at that time, the infrastructure exceeded (by current standards second country in the world using this weapon. facilities gap is 5 to 10 years); non-adaptation to Aurel Vlaicu but fails to persuade the Romanian competitive market conditions, the reduction and Government to begin construction of its own increasing average age of researchers. Another aircrafts series and Army aircraft will be equipped major problem is still the weak link between with French aircrafts. research and economy and relatively low capacity to The years after the Revolution from december exploit research results. Economic interest and 1989 meant a further reduction of the Romanian involvement in research and development and aviation industry imposed by the disappearance of innovation are low; in 2003 funds raised from traditional markets and the difficulties of transition businesses to co-finance such projects represent only to the new economic system. Factories in Bucharest, 35 % of the total budget of the National Plan for Brasov, Craiova, Bacau close or restrict their Research, Development and Innovation activity, and the opening of the romanian borders (NPRDI).[1] With the launch of Framework makes, many of Romanian aviation specialists to Programme 7, the European Union has paid to migrate. European researchers millions of euro, virtually Where are we today? Miraculous, perhaps eliminating the deficiency for Romania to the budget Romanian aviation and refused to disappear this created by lack of money. In practice, funding still time too.It survived the transition IAR Brasov, remains a problem for many Romanian researchers, Craiova aircraft, Aerostar Bacau, Bucharest and that's because I have not yet proven ability to Turbomecanica and Aerofina. They opened attract funds. Another branch of analysis is modernization programs and training school aircraft dedicated to the analysis of the competitiveness. The IAR 99 Hawk, the IAR 330 Puma "SOCAT", and robustness of the national system of higher MiG 21 Lancer (110 upgraded appliances).